


Family in Everything but Blood

by Gay_as_fuck



Series: our past is a prison, our future uncertain [2]
Category: Mugen no Juunin | Blade of the Immortal
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Coming Out, Emotional Baggage, Family, Feudal Japan, Friendship, Gen, Honesty, Internalized Transphobia, Male-Female Friendship, No Incest, No Romance, One Shot, Self-Indulgent, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, discussion of transitioning, manji and rin don't have the vocab, to talk abt being trans since they live in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 20:26:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16899330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gay_as_fuck/pseuds/Gay_as_fuck
Summary: Rin can't stomach the idea of Manji caring for her when she's been lying to him. Manji finds out that he and Rin have more in common than they would have thought.Manji and Rin are both trans and have a bit of a strange coming out.





	Family in Everything but Blood

**Author's Note:**

> I am still on my trans manji and rin kick. I just finished rereading and Hhhhhhh i want to write a lot. But i had this in my drafts for a while now.
> 
> Manji and Rin talk about being trans in this one just bc i wanted to write something like that. They also don't have the right vocab to talk about their experiences but they're in solidarity.

"Manji." Rin's voice draws his attention and he turns to look at her. She's stopped in her tracks a few paces on the road behind him. She's paler than usual and he almost rushes forward to catch her despite himself. She's not fainting though, she's standing perfectly still.

"What is it, kid?" She fiddles with her fingers and doesn't exactly look him in the eye. He sighs before fully turning to face her. She gulps and shakes a little. Manji resists the urge to step forward and lay a steady hand on her shoulder. He stands back and lets her find her courage to say whatever is so urgent she can't wait until they get to a tea house. 

"Nevermind." She squeaks out and he grumbles. Still, he doesn't turn away or stark walking just in case she has something else to say. He's immortal, so he has all time in the world for her to get out whatever she needs to. Better here than in the middle of a fight. 

"Look, I only just got you back. Don't start causing trouble now." She flushes and takes a deep breath in through her mouth as she rings out her hands. He cocks his head to one side and waits for her to speak. The moment lasts a bit too long and he finds himself saying "c'mon" at the same moment she blurts out "I'm not a girl." They both go stiff and rin is so red in the face it's a wonder she doesn't combust on him. 

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Manji asks and it must come out more confrontational than he means for it to be because she takes a step back. 

"I shouldn't have said anything." She mutters quickly as she casts her eyes to the ground. It takes him a moment to piece together exactly what she had said. He tightens his jaw and debates dropping the subject. Whatever it is, Rin will stew in it and go off and do something stupid because of it so they really don't need to have this conversation now. On second thought, considering how he just found her again, he'd rather not go through that. That and he's always been morn a little too curious for his own good. 

"You can't just drop this shit on me without explaining it." With a groan he puts his hand over his face, blocking his working eye. He doesn't hear her running so that's a good sign. 

"I'm not a girl." She says again, her voice only slightly more steady. He resists the urge to groan again. 

"Yeah, I get that part." He says and draws his hand away from his face. He scratches at the back of his neck. "What do you mean? Should I, uh, call you something else?" Rin blinks once, then twice, and before she can blink a third time tears spring from her eyes. 

"Ah Shit," Manji exclaims mostly to himself and rushes to her side to put a tentative hand on her upper arm. "What did I do wrong?" he mutters to himself while hoping that she will actually answer his question. 

"I want you to keep calling me Rin." She makes clear with only a bit of hiccuping in between. "I'm not a girl but I want to be." She finally clarifies and the pieces in Manji's head all snap together. He allows her another moment to catch her breath which allows him to take a moment and collect his thoughts. 

"Rin-" He hesitates for a moment for fear of upsetting rRin more with what he's about to say. "I kinda had the feeling." Her sniffling gives way to another sob which he quickly counters by wrapping her into a hug. He glances up and down the road, finding them still blissfully alone. 

"It's not like that." Manji starts but as usual his words fall flat. AT least it confuses Rin enough to calm her down for a moment. "you look like a gal but living with you gave me a few clues." Rin looks up at him, her face streaked with tears and for a moment he's overtaken by that big brother instinct to get back at whoever made her cry. He can't exactly kick his own ass for this so he just steps back and allows her to dry her eyes.

"Thank you." She tells him after she's stopped shaking. "You don't know how much it means to me that you've known and you haven't left me." Manji's arm goes instinctively to his pipe stored inside his Yukata with his swords. He ignores the impulse just in time to just leave his hand twitching. 

"That isn't exactly true." He forces out and she tilts her head. 

"I used to be like." Now it's his turn to refuse to look her in the eye. 

"A cross-dresser?" She asks hesitantly through the word doesn't come near to capturing their situation.

"A woman," and Rin's eyes go wide at the admission. She's the first person he's had to tell and from her earlier reaction, she's in the same situation. They stand together in breathless silence for a moment. 

"Wow." She whispers and after another brief stint of wide-eyed staring she starts to laugh. 

"What?" He barks while she's got a hand over her mouth and is half doubled over in laughter. She takes a moment to collect himself and despite the humiliation of being laughed at by his little sister he can't find it in himself to be mad at her. 

"I just don't get it! How can you act like that if you were raised as a woman?" 

"How can you act like that if you were raised as a guy?" He fires back as she lets out a humorous snort. 

"My father trained me in dedicate as befits the heir to a sword school." She straightens out her kimono and dawns her best approximation of a dignified expression. 

"Hey! I'm not buying that." Manji's statement earns him a side eye. "Being raised in a sword school doesn't teach you how to be a lady. What did you do, study it?" Rin's very ladylike blush offers him his answer. This time he starts to laugh, slapping his knee as Rin turns a bright shade of red. She gives him a huff and crosses her arms over her chest. 

"Fuck!" Manji gets out through his laughter, the sound shaking him as he stares up towards the sky. 

"It's not that funny," Rin mutters indignantly just loud enough for him to hear her. 

"It's not that it's just-" He has to pause for another chuckle to work its way out of his throat. "I could have given you my breasts." Rin gives a squeak and presses her arms further against her chest. He gives a pleasant sigh and rubs his chin. 

"Why don't you have a chest?" She asks while staring at the skin she can see as if she expects to find a pair of breasts there. 

"I cut them off," is all Manji says and the way she pales means he doesn't bother to elaborate. She understands what he did and how painful it must have been. 

"So that's why you never have any stubble." She concludes to which he snorts. 

"What did you think it was?" Her face reddens again as she sighs and shrugs. 

"Bloodworm stuff?" Her answer sounds more like a question and Manji smiles which she returns. Her eyes are still red and she has to stop and wipe the snot from her nose but he can tell she's happy. 

"Just one last thing, why did you tell me here?" Manji confesses the last thing that's been bothering him since the start of the conversation.

"We'd found each other again, you'd chased after me and put your own life at risk. I couldn't sleep at night thinking you'd done all that for a liar." She moves to reach out her hand to him but pulls it back before it even crosses half way between them. It hangs limply at her side as she looks away from him again. 

"I found you again, I'm not going to leave. It's a wonder we found one another." Manji takes a step forward and grabs hold of Rin's hand. "I'm lucky as hell I found you again Rin." 

"Me too." She replies and meets his gaze as she squeezes his hand. "I'm not losing you again." He squeezes her hand and she takes a step down the road. The sun beats above their heads and the road is long but they keep on walking.


End file.
